1
as in to admit
to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly
he fessed up to breaking the antique vase only after his guilt was obvious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to confess
to make an acknowledgment of something unpleasant as true or valid
at first he denied everything, but eventually he realized that he had no choice but to fess up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fess (up)
Verb
-
That got worse through emergency room trips on May 18 and May 20, the latter leading to University of Mississippi Medical Center, where she was admitted.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 July 2025 -
Chesky admits that remaining composed while covering these tragedies has been a challenge for him, especially as the father of a 2-year-old daughter, Eleanor.—
Rachel McRady,
People.com,
8 July 2025
Verb
-
Tiffany confessed, and Dianne went inside the house to get Stephen to discuss the situation.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
12 July 2025
-
The charging documents allege that back in January 2024 — more than a year before he was charged — Wan was arrested on suspicion of running the Iron Horse Parkway brothel and confessed.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
11 July 2025
Verb
-
At this point, the most scientists can hope for is that the US legal system ultimately acknowledges that the decision to cut their funding runs afoul of these congressional directives.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
9 July 2025
-
After this article first published online, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged on the social media site X that the detainee had been sent to the hospital, but said he wasn’t admitted and was returned to the detention center in an hour and a half.—
Ana Ceballos,
Miami Herald,
9 July 2025
Verb
-
In their five World Cup matches, the Netherlands conceded only two goals with Spitse on the pitch.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
5 July 2025
-
To get to a supermajority on partial overrides, the four members conceded on some of Gloria’s vetoes, such as elimination of $250,000 for a homeless outreach team.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 July 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Fess (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fess%20%28up%29. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share